The Sidequest
by TheMaidofLight22
Summary: Follow Faye, Mark, Kate and Luke as they experience their adventure and try to accomplish a task that many others before them have failed: Winning SBURB. Along the way their adventures will take them to new and unfamiliar places, and meet an odd species that claims to want to help them. They will find many things on their adventure. Love, fear, anger, friendship and trust.
1. Act 1 Part 1

A young girl of only 13 years stood in her loft in the bustling city of Philadelphia. She had short, curly nearly wavy hair and a sparsely freckled rounded face.

Her name would be Faye Ruebin. She had a bit of a tendency to be late to things, enjoyed coffee and soda a bit too much for the caffeine addiction she tried to hide and though music quietly played her voice could just not fit the right tone. Sporting a jacket and a white shirt with a pink cracked Liberty Bell on its front, she sat at her desk and pondered the future.

SBURB…it was a game she and her friends had ordered together to play. In the background she could hear the annoying buzzing and ringing of phones, a service her sister was involved in. She was always selling, always working it seemed to bring the gift of the voice to others. She stared around her room as she waited for her very slow internet to boot up, there was not much in the way of content here. Of course not, they were barely able to get this place, and a lot of the stuff they had to sell or give away coming here. She nibbled on a slice of sweet delightful apple, as her chat client finally showed up on the screen of her once dead computer.

There was only one person on, her friend Kate who was her dancing friend.

Faye's chat name was unfeignedComposer[UC] while Kate's was tapdanceUtopia[TU]  
unfeignedComposer[UC] began pestering tapdanceUtopia[TU] at 16:13  
UC: Hey  
UC: Are you there?  
UC: Hey  
UC: Are you there?

Kate who was miles away in Bostonian flat, hummed as she twirled about on her toes. Her long straight hair never hit her face, pulled away constantly by bobby pins. Her purple skirt followed each graceful movement, complimented by her white shirt with a electric indigo bird on its front. Her small eyes opened to see the text on the screen, gasping.  
She ran her tongue over her buck teeth, fingers flying away at the keyboard.

TU: Yes!  
TU: Are you nervous?  
TU: For the game i mean  
TU: We ARE starting tomorrow and im scared to play in front of all of you Ive never done anything like this before!  
TU: Ill probably look really stupid

Faye sighed and chuckled a bit at the notion. From what she had gathered, this girl was not all that confident in her own abilities. She seemed almost pessimistic but she was attempting to help others. It was hard when her aunt was a seemingly hard-boiled attourney at law. Faye was just a tinge jealous, wishing her family was a little more well off. But

Kate seemed like a good leader, and she was a nice friend. She was always there to talk when times were hard, despite them living so far apart.

TU: Im just afraid something bad will happen  
TU: Ive heard some bad things about some other games a friend of mine has played  
TU: I wonder where he is...  
TU: Anyways im probably just overreacting This cant be the same game after all!  
UC: Well, whatever it was can't be TOO bad  
UC: I mean, it's only a freaking game after all.  
UC: Everything will be fine  
UC: This will be tricky though, with time zones and everything. One lives in Australia for pete's sake!

Faye stopped typing for a moment and looked at the words. Something about Australia and mentioning the boy made her feel tingly and flushed. She felt her face rush over with blood, gulping hard. She was grateful there was a screen in the way, so that Kate could not see her expressions.

She typed furiously through the steamy storm erupting in her mind:

UC: Heck, lets look it up now!

She sighed as her internet revealed the answers to the mysterious question.

UC: Oh wow. I mean I've talked with him a few times, but I always forget how far ahead he is...  
UC: It's tomorrow morning for them already. The Alpha is already released over there. Haha, he might be getting for school right now  
TU: Oops  
TU: A little late to tell him then  
TU: Ah well hes smart enough hell figure it out eventually  
TU: What about mark?

Faye rolled her eyes at the name. Mark. Psh. She swore Kate had a thing for him. She had only seen him a few times, through chat and some pictures. He liked blowing things up, and from what she gathered he lived in Nevada with his Pop. Both of them were interested in mechanics of sorts, though Mark was more involved in the explosive kind. Kate complained that he was disinterested in tea, and his love for dinosaurs was a bit…childish. He seemed prideful of his country, but also fearful of a zombie overtaking. He always wore chunky goggles over his dark green eyes, and his wavy black hair was fairly decent.

UC: He just lives in Nevada right?  
UC: I don't think that should be a problem  
Kate sighed deeply, slowly typing.  
TU: ...So i guess this means the alpha comes tomorrow?  
UC: For us at least  
UC: heheh, I plan on buying it afterschool tomorrow  
TU: I had my aunt pre-order it  
TU: So it should come in the mail  
TU: I really hope it doesnt suck!

Faye grumbled. She was so lucky, being able to get it in advanced. Due to her riches and above-average lifestyle she'd probably get all sorts of nice bonuses and additions in her game.

UC: Luke says it'll be good so hopefully it will.

Kate stretched. She was a bit bored and felt her feet itching to do something rather than sitting plopped in front of the computer. She gave a plump smirk as she finished her last sentence of the chat:

TU: Im trusting you you!  
TU: O u O

tapdanceUtopia [TU] ceased pestering unfeignedComposer [UC] at 16: 37

Faye gave a sideways pout, her eyebrows crossed. Ugh, Kate didn't even say her salutations, it was a bit rude! Her fingers trembled as she spotted a name pop up in Kate's place.

undefeatedAviator [UA]…It was Luke! She twisted anxiously in her chair, trying to catch air. Finally her twittering fingers fell onto the keyboard and she swallowed her fear, and her pride.

unfeignedComposer [UC] began pestering undefeatedAviator [UA] at 16:38

UC: Um, hey Luke  
UC: Are you there?  
UC: Or even awake?...

Luke was sitting upright, barely awake. His hand slipped from under his chin and he mumbled something low toned and offensive under his breath. He sipped at the unknown liquid in a nearby mug and rubbed his eyes. He softly typed, both aggravated and slightly comatose.

UA: my god faye  
UA: its 7 freakin am  
UA: wht do u want

Faye gasped, feeling as if she had disrupted his inner harmony. But she wanted to be reassured. Kate's words affected her deeper than she had expected.

UC: Im sorry! :C  
UC: But I was just talking with Kate and she was worried about the game  
UC: And if something bad might happen  
UC: But it'll be ok right?

Luke pushed air from the bases of his lungs and couldn't help but give a warm smile. She seemed concerned, and he was so relaxed about what the future held in this game.

UA: o cmon  
UA: its just a game evry1s xcited about it  
UA: i think some ppl in japan alrdy r playing it

Faye found his way of typing a befuddling and squinted, reading it over a few times until she got the message.

UC: Wow! Really?  
UC: Oh those asians. XD  
UA: nvr kno wht theyr gonna do next  
UA: 2 bad its a school day  
UA: so uh u just got back from school rite  
UA: umm how was ur day

She scoffed. Her day? Probably full of sighs in comparison to his journeys back and forth to his exciting military base home. She wished he didn't have to leave, but knew due to time differences and unfortunate education rituals he had to abandon her once more.

UC: Alright, but I don't want to talk with you too long  
UC: You have school to go to, right?  
UC: Don't want to hold you up.  
UA: ill download it aftr school  
UA: then we can play

undefeatedAviator [UA] ceased pestering unfeignedComposer [UC] at 16: 46

Faye filled her time waiting for him with reading her history books and working on a recent poem she developed about the Foundation of their state. It was a long few hours before she heard the notification pop back up on her computer screen. She flew to her chair, and watched the screen flash.

Her eyebrows crossed and she groaned. It wasn't Luke, it was Mark whose chat name was ultimateGrenadier [UG]. She decided to sit this chat session out and watch the two "lovebirds" flirt with each other.

ultimateGrenadier [UG] began pestering tapdanceUtopia [TU] at 18:39  
UG: FREEDOM : D  
UG: so what's up?

Kate giggled furiously at Mark's excitement, drumming her fingers over her chin and thinking of the best reply to give him. She always tried to keep their conversations full of spark, but her consistent pessimism won out in the end.

TU: Tehe freedom!  
TU: I just got back from dance lessons!  
TU: Im tired :\  
TU: And i have a feeling that i didnt do as well as i should have today

Mark adjusted his goggles. He wish he could be there for her. She was always talking about how much better she could be. If only he could boost her confidence with more than just words on a keyboard. He tugged at his white shirt that bore a dark green t-rex torso.

UG: aw SNAP!  
UG: did you not do well because youre tired?  
UG: or is it something else?

Kate didn't want to admit the truth, she had been hiding a deep secret from them all for a few years now and it was gnawing at her mind.

TU: Nope  
TU: I think im just distracted  
TU: What about school?! How was that?  
UG: me?  
UG: same old same old so glad its friday!  
TU: Its friiiidaaayyyyy friiiiiiiiiiiiiiidddddaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyy  
TU: Gotta get down on friiiidaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyy  
TU: Hehe XD

Kate suddenly found that her other chat log was updated, and a name in lavender popped up. SuspciousSalamander…oh no…it was him! She clutched her nose, feeling sudden pressure popping and when she withdrew there was dribbling blood all down her fingers.

TU: Oh no!  
TU: Sorry i had another nose malfunction :C Theres a little blood on my shirt now...  
UG: NO screw that song.  
UG: did you laugh so hard that blood BLEW from your nose?  
UG: hahaha XD You might be dying in another universe or some shit.  
TU: It snot funny!

Her eyes narrowed at the misspelling and groaned audibly at the unintentional pun.

TU: Oh god  
TU: I mean ITS NOT funny! No nose pun intended! : O

Mark bit his bottom lip, trying not to snort as he typed furiously in all caps:  
UG: XDDDDDDDDDD OH MY GOD!  
UG: that was THE BEST typo EVER!  
UG: ROFL!

Her fury started to show.

TU: Well maybe ill just come and bleed all over you and your stupid keyboard :[

Mark wiped away a forming tear from his face, hoping he hadn't offended the lady too much.

UG: hey man relax.  
UG: just go and stop bleeding to death.  
TU: Fine  
TU: See ya in the game tomorrow

tapdanceUtopia [TU] ceased pestering ultimateGrenadier [UG] at 19: 01

With that she closed the chat. But her other one remained open. She peered behind her, and around to make sure nobody was around and wrote:  
TU: Hey you. We're starting tomorrow. Any Tips?

Morning arrived, and the day went by slowly. All of them were far too distracted during the day that even simple household chores were ignored and filled with anxious waiting.

Mark was fed up, being the most impatient and slammed his fingers onto his keyboard.  
ultimateGrenadier [UG] began pestering undefeatedAviator [UA] at 20:01  
UG: g'day mate!  
UG: are ya back from school yet?  
UG: it's 8pm ova here and even later with the girls so lets start this shit already.

Luke went through his files quickly, knowing they had been waiting for the right time so that all of them could join at once. This was the moment of truth: the game that would shape their fate and reality as everyone claimed it would was starting right before his eyes.

UA: dwnload link - [link]  
UA: tell me once u all have it

Mark took off his goggles to look at the screen, taking a double-glance just to be sure the numbers in front of his gaze were official.

UG: holy sh*t this thing is huge!  
UG: alright let's get started.

The screen flashed before his goggles, a spiraling swirling mass of wiry lines with a small bar at the bottom and some cheesy music. Somehow watching all the strange sentences scroll by on the top of the loading bar made butterflies flit about in his gut. When it was finished he gave a relieved breath. Short messages from Faye and Kate confirmed their download was a success.

UG: ok the girls told me they've got it.  
UG: now what?

UA: ya the files larger thn nessie  
UA: but first i need a servr playr 2 get me in  
UA: i kno more about these kinda games thn u mates anyway  
UA: im gonna ask faye thrs no way in hell im letting k8 be my servr playr  
UA: poor girl dont kno a thing bout computrs

He clicked Faye's name and sent her a private message, his eyes shaking with fear at the anticipation of her response for a few brief moments.

undefeatedAviator [UA] began pestering unfeignedComposer [UC] at 20: 12  
UA: faye  
UA: can u b my servr playr

She was impressed, he was sticking his neck out! She wanted to make sure this courage was not just defective or haughty.

UC: You want to be the first to start?  
UA: thats wht i was thinkin  
UC: Well ok  
UC: Let me make the connection...

A screen showed up and she gasped. There he was, sitting down at his desk in solitude. His ink black hair was spiked up on one side, and his face was flush from heat. He had a fan blowing directly on him, and it made the fabric of his clothing sway so gracefully. He had one hand in his pocket, fiddling through it without any motivation. She giggled at the tan rocket on his shirt that matched the color of his distant eyes. Beyond that, Faye could hardly contain her throbbing heartbeat and her surprise. He looked like a military kid, but his Cuz was in the Airforce. She noticed the multiple plane and rocket models scattered about on his shelves and the floor. It must have been a deep lost passion of his. With romantic bliss she furiously typed.

UC: OMG I can SEE you Luke! Is that really you?!

She watched him smirk and type back:  
UA: no its ur mom  
UA: duh its me  
UA: im pretty sure theres some stuff u have 2 place in my house or something  
UC: Uh, right.  
UC: Hehe is this live footage? Wave at me Luke! Say hi!

He groaned and shook his head at her flightiness.

UA: oh my god faye  
UA: get w/ the program  
UC: Alright, alraight fine.  
UC: Whenever you do this though you'll see what I mean.

She clicked through the options and spotted machines with terribly strange sounding names and functions.

UC: So there's all these machines. Do I...put them in your house?

Frankly he was not growing fond of Faye's obliviousness. He felt extremely cheeky and ironic today, not caring much for the way or manner he sounded now.

UA: no in my neighbors house  
UA: yes in mine lets get this startd!12! 1221!22#S  
UA: just dont put em somwhr stupid  
UA: or destroy anythin  
UA: aw man i hope the air force ppl dont think im tryin to make a doomsday machine or something

UC: Oh no!  
UC: This won't be a problem, will it? I really wanted you to play  
UA: nah it shouldnt B as long as u keep the crap inside

Faye's hand shook as she took hold of the mouse, pointing the cursor over a few things.  
Luke watched with intensity at the floating arrow above his head, prepared for any move she made.

UC: Ok  
UC: Ah, hold on.  
UA: k

She suddenly heard the door open. It was her Sis, who just stared blank-faced.

UC: Ugh, I'm sorry I got to go

Luke shook his head with denial, hoping that his dramatic response would convince her to remain with him and start placing his machines about the room.

UA: WHHAAAAAAAAT  
UA: y  
UC: My Sister is telling me to go to bed! It's late over here.  
UC: Sorry :C  
UC: Eh, it might be better for me to start this in the morn anyway.  
UC: Why not try Mark? He's earlier. Besides, he might be better at this stuff than me.  
UA: fine

unfeignedComposer [UC] ceased pestering undefeatedAviator [UA] at 20: 32  
Trying to be composed, Luke used his trusty air force vernacular to beg Mark to take her place.

UA: mark  
UA: faye is mia  
UA: u gotta step in and do this 4 me

Mark jumped at the notification noise, almost spilling his cola as he nibbled on a few chips for dinner. As he consumed, he typed carefully trying not to get crumbs all over his precious keyboard.

UG: alright.  
UG: lemme just connect as ur server player.  
UG: where do you want me to put these? in your room?  
UA: whrevrs fine  
UA: just dont freak out my cuz

Mark snickered at the concept of Cuz being freaked out. The man was made of steel, or was some sort of robotic fiend he had assumed before. He was hardened, full of guts. It would take a lot more than some loud noises to make him jumpy. He clicked on the first big thing that caught his eyes,

UG: here let me move some of your crap outta the way.

He tossed his shelves around, being unusually cautious about it. Not one of his models broke.

UG: its something called a cruxtruder. I think you need the stuff that's inside.  
As it appeared Luke could not cease gawking at the girth of the object.  
UA: daaaaaaaaaaamn this thing is huge  
UA: look it has tht littl spirograph on the top  
He chuckled trying to mimic the dumb song during the loading screen.  
UA: de de de dedededuhde lol ctchy  
UA: am i supposd to spin the wheel  
UG: yeah man.  
UG: im gonna try to put these other things in while you do that.

Luke grabbed hold of it but found that any effort he exerted on the damn thing wouldn't allow it to bulge. He did however have some enjoyment from twisting the wheel back and forth.

UA: it wont mov  
UA: it looks like thrs an opening at the top 4 somthin  
Mark pinched the bridge of his nose.  
UG: pry it open or something.  
UG: i put the keyboard thing in your hallway.  
UA: k just as long as the cuz dont c me

Luke climbed on top of the cruxtruder and attempted many times to pull at its lid.

UA: its not working

He glanced about the room until his eyes fell upon a decorative boomerang from his wall. With quick thinking he equiped it in his strife deck. He nudged the boomerang under the rim of the lid and pried it with all his might. After a few seconds the lid came clean off and releasing the golden, circular kernelsprite. Luke smiled with pride at his own accomplishment, but cocked his head at the sprite that was trying to speak in some coded language.

UA: yes  
UA: but woah wats this glowy gold thing  
UG: idk let me check gamefaq.

Mark's heart skipped a beat when he spotted the information he was looking for.

UG: oh sh*t OH SH*T bro omg!  
UG: quick there's a clock on the thingy what does it SAY?  
Luke ran to the clock on the other side, and bit his lip.  
UA: woa wait  
UA: whts wrong  
UA: it says 9: 45 wht does it mean

UG: 9 minutes ok we got time not a whole lot but we got it  
UG: do u have the prepunched card?  
Luke was only more confused,  
UA: wht card ur not makin any sense bro  
UA: whts this clock 4  
Mark bounced up and down in his chair, terrified.  
UG: oh crap its right here srry.  
UG: that clock is a countdown untill some meteor or something hits your house!  
UG: i can't believe it can you check outside and c if its real?  
UA: oh god a meteor

Luke ran to his window, staring into the sky. He felt ice run down his spine as a small flaming object was nearing.

UA: yep no joke hurry bro  
UA: wht do we do w/ this  
UA: and why does this glowy gold thing keep foll-oing me  
UG: ok we gots time not a lot but we can DO this.  
UG: quick is there something in your house you can get rid of?

UA: yes we r makin this HAPPN

Luke glanced to his cousin's sincere Star War's gift pile. He scoffed and hissed, he hated those movies so much. Too many people quoted it around him, including his own guardian. He picked up the first thing he saw from the pile.

UA: ive always wanted to get rid of my cuz stupid yoda action figure  
UA: y  
UG: perfect.

Mark picked up the doll from Luke's hands and threw it into the golden chattering circle. Luke shielded his eyes from a flash and then with shock stood facing a strangely alive version of his doll staring right at him.

UG: can't go wrong with yoda this is great!

"The droll you must use young master!" The sprite told right awake. Luke was flung into a panic, gasping and trying to keep his breath steady. "Find and use it, you must!"

It was his worst nightmare.

UA: oh god oh god  
UA: wht did u do  
UA: WHAT DID YOU DO!?  
UA: i hav this freakin yellow glowy yoda naggin me 2 "use the cruxite dowel" or whtevr tht means  
UA: oh god...

Mark puffed out his chest.

UG: haha deal w it yodas awesome!  
UG: can he actually talk 2 u and stuff?  
UG: im the best player of this game ever, you can thank me later.  
UG: oh god ok ok

Mark placed the totem lathe down the hall and Luke felt and heard the thud from its power. The alchemiter was placed in the backyard full of half-broken model airplanes.

UG: alright take this card and go down the hall  
UG: take 1 of those gold things w u

Luke did as he asked, only to try and escape the dead-set eyes of the large Yoda sprite following him.

UA: gottcha

Luke ran to the totem lathe. After a couple seconds he finally discovered that the card was punched into a slot.

UA: the gold thing looks like it would fit rite here

He placed the dowel in its proper place and a needle carved it into a strangely pleasant wiggly shape.

UA: wht is this i dont evn  
UG: crap your cuz is coming!  
UG: to the backyard!

Luke dashed to there. It took no more than a glance to figure out that his cousin was in the mood for some silliness despite the imminent danger they were in. He played along with him, pretending to shoot guns and "die". The clock was now set to 4:13. Mark performed a necessary face-palm at the idiocy of it all.

UG: doesnt ur cuz understand the sitch?  
UG: good grief, maybe yoda can stall him.  
UG: you c the alchemiter right?

While lying in the thick grass, Luke's attention is quickly drawn to the meteor sailing towards his house, visible now in all it's terrifying glory. Cuz seemed to notice it to, trying not to lose his cool.

UG: omg man stop lookin at the meteor and focus.  
UG: oh wow thats really close um put that thing youre holding on the platform.

Luke set the dowel on the smaller platform as Cuz started to go inside the house. A large gold chest appeared suddenly and the boy was terribly lost.

UA: wht is this i dont evn-  
UA: now wht  
Mark flew through to the next section on his walkthrough,  
UG: sh*t i dont know.  
UG: this stupid walkthru says u have to destroy it or somethin.  
UG: and QUICK!  
UA: wtf how  
UA: ummm

Luke grabbed a shovel at the edge of the yard and swung. No damage was visible on the impervious object. He hit it a few times more but then realized his attempts were fruitless. The clock is now at 2:34.

UA: its not wrkgin  
UA: hv any sugestionds  
UA: lol wht if theires dynamit insid  
UG: don't tempt me.  
UG: is it locked? that would SUCK.  
UA: doesnt look lcked  
UA: lemme c

With a heaving attempt, Luke tipped it over and suddenly found himself enveloped in light again. Mark watched, stunned at the sudden crater that stood where his view of the house was. Where had he gone? At least he was safe now…he hoped. His view of Australia was starting to become glitch and scratched in the computer, and he clicked on it a few times until it was nothing but static and white noise. He rushed over to his TV to see if there was any sudden news on Australia's whereabouts.

Luke opened his eyes. He rubbed his head, feeling just a little sore. His house was all still in one piece, but they definitely were not in the outback any longer.

Before him instead outstretched before his view stood a wall full of colorful blocks, each one a different shade and color. This place felt as if it were a large puzzling Rubix cube. He could not see over the blockading wall but spotted an unnaturally blue sky with deep pink clouds floating by. The ground was rock hard, and had a strange plastic texture as he walked upon it. He chuckled nervously as he tried to contact someone in his pager.

He eyed a large, steel door lined with intricate details of some strange non-english culture with swirls and a spirograph implanted in its center.

As his Yoda sprite floated next to him, he sent one last message:  
UA: mark  
UA: marrrrrk  
UA: u there bud  
UA: i dont think im in aussie anymore

"In the Medium we are Luke, you must embrace this change. You are important in way of mind, and this world will see to it that trained, you are."

"What about home?"

"Gone, earth will be soon. You can never return. Face the current situation you must, and ways to shape your mind, you must learn."  
He stood, rubbing his eyes. He was grateful he was still at home in a way. But he had to get out and explore this new, foreign place. He wasn't sure where he was, but he wasn't just going to sit back and do nothing. "Alright Yoda, time to check this place out and train my brain I guess…"  
He tied his boots tightly and prepared to explore the uncharted and unknown land.


	2. Act 1 Part 2

Mark was completely flabbergasted at the sight he bore witness to. His friend, Luke's, house just vanished in a sphere of white light with no warning and no evidence but a crater behind. He adjusted his goggles in front of the monitor, nervously gulping.

He typed frantically trying to contact the lost friend:

ultimateGrenadier [UG] began pestering undefeatedAviator [UA] at 20:45

UG: omg.

UG: was that it? are u in? whatever "in" means

When there was no response back, the view of Australia began to fuzz into static. He frantically jumped from the comfort of his computer chair. He switched on the television, hoping there would be something about the large island country there.

Luke meanwhile glanced around this strange new place he had landed in. The sky was the deepest blue he had ever seen, deeper than the ocean almost. There were large planet-like objects floating far off in the distance in the sky. The land was scattered and block-shaped, obnoxiously colored like Rubix cubes. The steel door that blocked his way out was intimidating to say the least, surrounded by a wall of the same texture and color as the earth. How anything could live in this plastic filled world was beyond him. He noticed the messages finally coming through to him, fingers wild as he typed back to mark.

UA: mark

UA: marrrrrk

UA: u there bud

UA: i dont think im in aussie anymore

When the friend didn't respond back to his hasty joke, he rolled his eyes and tried to settle down. The sprite he created, the strange Yoda and soldier toy with an unearthly brown glow.

"Might as well go look around see what I can gather up. Stupid game, doesn't have a manual or anything to tell me what to do," he said.

He leapt from his seat and carefully went to the front door. He heard something behind it, but wasn't concerned. He wiggled the knob and pushed the door to his house open wide. He jumped back when he saw a small black creature garbed in jedi robes perched on his front steps. With no warning, the creature flung out its claw-like hand, and the shovel Luke used previously to open his treasure chest was in the air. In seconds it flew at him.

Luckily, the dark-haired boy was agile enough to narrowly miss the graze of the shovel, and the weapon hit the wall behind him, knocking over a few pictures. Luke grumbled, annoyed as His guardian sprite began to speak.

"The force you must use Luke…Be the jedi you must."

Mark couldn't believe what he just saw as he sat down again and was both excited (and) nervous for his buddy. Quickly, he typed in the first thing that came to mind:

UG: man they're coming up with the craziest stories on the news.

UG: WHOA! where r u man? what is that thing?

Luke ignored the messages swarming in. He was too busy noticing the other few imp-like creatures beginning to enter his home. But as he glanced out the window, he noticed some on the top of the cube wall, throughout the yard. The scratching noises from the ceiling and the walls must have meant they were crawling like pests practically everywhere.

Luke shook his head at the sprite's previous advice, "There is no way I can do that! We've got to take this trash out." He looked around for something to use, but the shovel had mysteriously disappeared and he didn't know where the original had gone. "Why don't you just use the force and clear these things right outta here? I mean, you need to help me fight…whatever these things are."

"Imps they are…tough to fight they will be."

Mark snickered at the sprite's voice, but was eager to see Luke find some way to engage in battle.

UG: ah finally some fighting in this game! I was thinking it was going to be some stupid sims game.

Luke finally noticed his pesterchum chat on his phone and brought it up. He rolled his eyes, but responded:

UA: oh there u r

UA: i was gettin worried

UA: and shut up sims is awsom

UA: 1 time i built a robot and went to the moon

UA: all in 1 day

UA: now is there anythin u can do 2 help me fight

With that, he put the phone back into the Paperplane modus, and retrieved his favorite boomerang. He dared not throw it; he wasn't about to trash his house. He instead smashed the side of it into the skull of the imp. But as the imp was thrown back, Luke let go of the boomerang and it flew off into the yard. Luke followed it outside. The sprite then revealed his lightsaber and began to fight the ones that were trying to enter the house. With just one swipe, the two were defeated by Yodasprite and exploded into blue and purple grist. Luke wasn't sure what to make of the strange glowing gusher-shaped objects, going to fetch his weapon.

UG: yeah that's the idea, get the loot. This ttly reminds me of Kingdom Hearts.

When Luke was sure the threat was gone, he collected the objects, and placed his fingers around his chin in thought. With an eyebrow cocked he responded.

UA: wht is this stuff

UA: does it help

UA: should i kill mor imps

UG: heck yes you should!

UG: give em a POW! and a SLAM!

Luke was determined then to collect as much of the grist as possible. He kept a firm grip on his boomerang as he scouted the yard to ensure he defeated the ones that had managed to escape. When the imps knew he was a force to be recognized, they fle[e]d. He puffed his chest out with pride as he lazily collected the remaining grist. With that, he gained another level to Pilot-In-Training[:].How exciting.

UA: im going 2 check out the house now

UA: r there mor imps inside

Mark bit his fingernails at the idea.

UG: no.

UG: your cuz isn't in there either btw.

Luke's face scowled, biting his lip hoping his friend wasn't right.

UA: wht

UA: quit bs-ing me

UG: im serious! go look!

With the wind at his heels, Luke ran inside the house again and glanced around. There was no sign of his Cuz anywhere, and he couldn't hear him pacing about anywhere. He ran from room to room, but could not see him. With panic and concern he messaged Mark.

UA: oh god where could he hav gone 2

UA: were stuk in a big fn box 4 crying out loud

UG: maybe he's not in here, in the game.

UG: but I didn't see him b4 then...

UG: idk man.

UA: awww man

UA: wht if he got hurt by the imps

UA: ima go look outside…again.

When Luke came back into the yard. He circled the perimeter of the house until he found his Guardian at the giant, intimidating, detailed doors. Cuz was pushing on them with all his might as the black creatures began to surround him. He stopped opening the door when he heard them coming closer, drawing a rifle from his strife deck.

Luke froze when Mark messaged him.

UG: there he is!

UG: can he fight?

UA: i sure hope so

UA: ima go help him

The two worked together to fend back the vile creatures, and eventually were successful. Not only did he gain experience and grist from the battle, but there was some boondollars involved.

Mark was impressed to say the least at their teamwork.

UG: well there u go.

UG: can u get out of this area your in?

UA: of course i can

UA: or this is gonna b 1 booorin game

Luke attempted to push the door himself, but soon discovered it was locked. He glanced up and noticed a very large keyhole in the center of the designs. Around it was a circle with three wiggly-looking lines sprouting from it.

UG: what kind of lock is it?

UA: its this big ol' keyhole

UA: 1 that goes w/ the size of the door

UG: d*mn thats a big key.

UG: how could you not find something like that. Maybe it's burried?

UG: : D

UA: no way on gods earth im takin that shovel an digging thru blocks

UA: as much as i hate 2 admit it

UA: lets ask yoda

Luke begrudgingly turned to the sprite and sighed, "Hey, do you know how the heck we get outta here?"

The sprite shut his eyes, and spoke with a wise tone. "An ordinary key to open the door you use not. The key, your mind is, Luke."

UG: whats he saying pal?

UA: i think he says i hav 2 use telekinesis to open the door

UA: this is ridiculous

UG: use the force luuuuke!

UG: dooooo it!

UA: 2 lettrs

UA: N

UA: O

UG: well then have fun.

UG: l8r.

UG: may the force be with you.

ultimateGrenadier [UG] ceased pestering undefeatedAviator [UA]

Luke nearly slammed down his phone.

UA: mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrkkkkkkkkkkkk

UA: ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

The next morning arrived quicker than anticipated. Luke had his blinds shut tightly, the light of this world was still bright and had not faded once since he arrived to this strange land.

His phone vibrated with a message. He groaned and opened it, almost hoping it would be one of the girls. But it was still Mark.

ultimateGrenadier [UG] began pestering undefeatedAviator [UA] at 10:08

UG: hey.

UG: are you awake?

UG: i mean, it's like, midnight or whatever there, right?

UA: i guess

UA: but its strange its still sunny

UA: yodasprite said somethin bout this place having no "time"

UG: ...

UG: where the heck ARE you? you're not on earth anymore that's for sure.

UA: yodasprite calld this the "medium"

UA: he says its a place all on its own

UA: 4 being a fictional char. hes actually pretty wise n smart

UG: you don't say?

UG: haha so this place is like Narnia?

UA: idk sure

UA: yoda says this is called the land of insight and locks

UA: i abbrv. it 2 loial

UA: he calls it my own prsnl land

UG: omg I am so confused. are you even in our UNIVERSE anymore?

UA: hey man im just as confused as u

UA: whn r u gonna come in

UA: will u end up here w/ me

UG: idk that's a good question.

UG: let me see.

ultimateGrenadier [UG] began pestering tapdanceUtopia [TU] at 10:20 PST

UG: hey.

Kate noticed the message pop up on her screen. The straight-haired girl smiled widely, it had been a while since one of the boys talked with her. It was a relief to hear the notification sound and see his dark green words upon the screen. After hearing about Australia and meteors invading earth she was frightened for her friends. But she had barely started the game of SBURB, and she was eager to start.

TU: Heeeeeeeeey!

TU: Do i get to play now? All of us?

TU: Or is luke still going to hog all the fun :V

UG: yeah, but you know all the meteor stuff on the news?

UG: THE GAME (which you just lost haha) did that.

UG: like, Luke's in f*cking Narnia.

UG: this game is crazy, just FYI.

TU: Wait

TU: ...You mean...

TU: THIS game dropped a meteor

TU: A WHOLE meteor

TU: On lukes house?

TU: ...

Kate noticed a light purple name pop up on a different account, somebody named salamanderSuspicion on a strange chat site called Trollian. She gulped down a hard lump and tried not to break out in sweat. She knew partially that this information was important, but talking to her friend on the chat who seemed to like her a lot was even more important right now…

TU: ...

TU: Im sorry

TU: I have to go talk to someone right now

TU: Brb

Mark grit his teeth with annoyance and tried to coax her back.

UG: no wait!

UG: BLUH.

Mark quickly switched back to his conversation with Luke.

UG: luke, I think I made Kate chicken out.

UG: i told her what happened to u.

Luke rolled his eyes at the outcome.

UA: thnx mark

UA: ur a real pal

UG: well I figured they should know!

UG: she's talking 2 somebody else now. probably Faye and they're gonna ditch us.

UA: fab-u-lus

UA: gonna go talk 2 faye and c if i can convince her 2 stay

undefeatedAviator [UA] began pestering unfeignedComposer [UC] at 12:34 EST

UA: faye whtevr k8 says dont listn 2 her

The wavy haired girl cocked an eyebrow as she sat at her desk. Phones rang in the underbelly of her apartment, and she bit a knuckled with confusion. Part of her was grateful that Luke was okay, and she felt a lot lighter knowing that much at least. She responded back:

UC: What?

UC: Why?

UA: shes crazy

UA: the game isnt as bad as it sounds

UC: Um, I haven't talked with Kate at all today.

UC: Although I was wondering about the game, and I heard a meteor hit Australia!

UC: Are you ok?

UA: wth

UA: then who the fu is k8 talkin 2

Faye pouted at the tone of his messages. She knew part of the problem was they were so far away, and she couldn't hear his tone but something about how he spoke over the computer was off-putting.

UC: I don't know...

UC: What's wrong? You seem really upset.

UA: meh its nothin really

UA: mark told k8 a meteor hit my house as part of the game and she flippd out

UA: she went 2 go talk 2 some1

UA: i assumd it would B u

UC: Oh my gosh, wait. The meteor came from the game?

UA: ya

UA: woulda hit my house head on mate if i hadnt gone 2 this lego world

UC: What?

UC: ... Well, at least that makes sense. There have been reports of meteors hitting everywhere around the world. Is this game like, the end of the world?

UA: wht

UA: u mean they r crashin evrywhere

UA: i guess it is the end

UA: hmmm we should get u guys in the game asap

UA: lets try to get k8s attention and tell her to quit b-ing such a girly girl and to get mark in b4 he dies

Faye was a bit annoyed at Luke's assumptions about their friend, but she was also thrown into a panic. She hardly understood what was going on, let alone where he was or where Mark was either.

UC: ! When will that be?!

UA: idk

UC: Ah! Yes I'll try to talk to her now!

unfeignedComposer [UC] ceased pestering undefeatedAviator [UA] at 12:49 EST

Faye quickly found Kate on her roster of friends and frantically began to type.

unfeignedComposer [UC] began pestering tapdanceUtopia [TU] at 12:49 EST

UC: Kate! You're there right?

Kate's fingers shook as she tried to think of the right words to say. She was completely red, biting her lip.

TU: Um...yes

TU: I think

TU: I guess the best thing for us right now is to get everyone in the game

TU: Thats what a friend of mine says

TU: Hes...

TU: ...played this before

TU: Faye can i tell you something?

Butterflies rushed through Kate's stomach, and chills interrogated every nerve of her body.

UC: Sure.

TU: Well

TU: I really dont know how to say this..

TU: I kind of have this...

TU: ...alien boy friend?

TU: Oh no! No like a boyfriend boy friend but just a friend

TU: Who is a boy

TU: And he akownss all aboute this heh heohe

TU: And so he kasnd kind of heolp us with ourgame and stuff

Towards the end she was so shaky her words seemed like gibberish. She was glad Kate was here to talk about this even though the world was in peril.

Faye was even more baffled than when Luke messaged her before.

UC: I-I'm having a hard time believing this?

UC: Like an actual ET alien?

TU: Well

TU: Like

TU: His species are called trolls but sure

TU: His name is Ophilus

TU: He has lavender blood

UC: So they look like those 80s dolls?

UC: Or the ugly ones?

UC: Or even the internet ones! You could've been tricked Kate!

TU: Omg!

TU: The ones where you stick the pencil up their butts?

TU: I remember those! XD

TU: But no he actually sent me a picture of a troll he took one day

TU: When i first met him and he was still trying to convince me that he was an alien

TU: Im pretty sure its still on my computer Ahh here it is

Faye was surprised at the detail of the picture, but it still kind of looked fake. It was a painting, done in a Japanese style of a gray-skinned boy who looked tall and was very thin. His ears looked like the fins of a fish, and his lips were black. His hair was jet ink black and wavy, cut just below where his neck met his head. He had two pairs of orange, yellow and red horns atop his skull. Two were short and stuck out from the sides. The other pair seemingly curved and followed the back of his head. There was a pretty, round lavender talisman upon his neck, held onto by the clasp of a silver necklace. He wasn't exactly the most manly looking…alien but he wasn't very feminine either. The picture cut off but it seemed like there were other aliens in the painting as well since a few horns stuck out from where the photo cut off.

UC: Gasp! Oh my gosh is that real?

Kate was very excited to hear that Faye wasn't terribly skeptical of the alien boy. She flew her fingers across the key explaining to her what she had learned of their culture and situation.

TU: Yeah!

TU: See like in their culture its crazy cause theyre all super mean and fight a lot

TU: They have castes based on their blood colors

TU: And at the top of it all is their leader the ummm...oh the condesce!

TU: Shes is suuuuper mean

TU: Idk hes coming though with his friends to our session to beat another super mean lady called the destroyer

TU: But that all is beside the point he said that he could lead us through our session until they came!

TU: ...Um you there?

Faye felt almost like drooling she was so overwhelmed with this sudden information. The Game making meteors, sudden alien involvement? This was all so insane.

UC: Oh!

UC: Yeah sorry this is just a lot to take in.

UC: I'm so confused. Is all this related to the crazy stuff the betty crocker company has been doing lately?

UC: I know you've seen it on the news.

UC: Everyone's saying how aliens are attacking and stuff. Is it these guys?

UC: Your friend?

TU: I dont know

TU: Im not sure how

TU: Because according to him their planet was destroyed a while ago

Faye shook her head with the sudden realization of the alien's plans.

UC: Well then it makes sense! They're coming here to take over OUR planet!

UC: Oh my gosh is this really happening?

UC: And you knew about these...these aliens all along and never told us.

UC: Oh my gosh.

TU: Oh no! Its not like that! Theres only a few of them left

TU: Like maybe 5 or 6

TU: Theres no way they could take over our planet

UC: How do you know Kate?

UC: They could be lying. They're ALIENS.

TU: I know!

TU: I have had some pretty weird moments with them...

TU: But i think theyre telling the truth

TU: I think ophilus likes me

Faye was beyond herself at this point. It couldn't be! Aliens were…aliens! They were supposed to breed and have the company of their own species. Besides, what if it was like the creepy ones that laid eggs in your chest or sucked off your face?

UC: Likes you? Kate please.

UC: Are you serious? How do you know?

TU: He said it

TU: Hes hinted at a lot of things

UC: It's the end of the world and an alien likes you.

UC: I can't...think right now.

UC: Just...get Mark into the game.

UC: I'm sorry. Bye.

unfeignedComposer [UC] ceased pestering tapdanceUtopia [TU] at 1:01 EST

Kate sighed heavily at her friend's sudden leaving. She felt a bit guilty for exposing so much to Faye, especially at such a critical moment. She hoped that she could get Mark in the game safely, and that someone would be there for her when she needed to get in too.

She typed, trying to forget what she and Faye had talked about even though it was still lingering in the back of her mind.

tapdanceUtopia [TU] began pestering ultimateGrenadier [UG] at 1:02 EST

TU: Hey mark

TU: We need to get you in now

Mark smirked at her notion and rubbed his hands together before responding:

UG: ah kate. finally.

UG: let's get this partay started!

UG: but im kinda nervous after everything luke went thru.

TU: Me too

TU: Just tell me all that i need to do and ill do it

Kate glanced through her written instructions and the notes she had been making regarding Luke's entering.

UG: well first install the game. server player disc specifically.

TU: Ok its installing i think

TU: Its done! That was pretty fast

TU: Now what?

UG: alright now i'm guessing that you can see me?

UG: what's on ur screen?

TU: Wait a second...

TU: Omg it came up!

Kate finally got to see him. His hair was dark and wavy, his skin dotted with acne and thick goggles balanced on his nose. She snickered at his shirt.

TU: Awww look its you mark! Say hi!

TU: Awww omg look at you! And the little dinosaur on your shirt! Hehe this is just too precious

TU: Omg wheres my camera...

Mark blushed and tried to hide the stupid design. He quickly typed, turning around so that she might not be able to see him.

UG: yea yeah see me in all my glory.

UG: hurry up though. if it's the end of the world then i want out.

UG: i knew this day was comin man. im freaking prepared.

TU: I know you are mark hehe

TU: If theres anyone id want on my doomsday team it would be you!

She began to fiddle around with the controls and clicked on a pillow on his bed. It rose up and flopped when she let go of it. She noticed the boxes at the top of the screen, not completely aware of their purpose.

TU: ok so i can move around your house and see things

TU: theres also some stuff here in the top of my screen...?

UG: yes! all those machines u need 2 put in my house somewhere.

UG: only a few are really important atm.

UG: the chuckstruder or whatever, the totem lathe, and the alchemiter.

UG: ALSO! u have a card there right?

Kate hummed and saw that she did in the inventory slot.

TU: Yeah

TU: So i just need to put this here...

TU: And that over there...

TU: And this big old square thing can go right here

TU: Done!

Mark felt and heard a large object slamming into the house. He got up trying to figure out where she had placed the lathe and other things he needed.

UG: whered u put them?

He knew his room was way too messy to put anything in right now. He opened the door to the hallway, continuing his chat on a phone.

TU: The cruxtruder is in the hall by the bathroom

TU: Alchemiter is in your kitchen

TU: And the totem lathe is by the front door

TU: Is that ok?

UG: as long as u didn't block my fridge that's cool.

He approached the machine with the long tube at the top of it first that was in the hallway.

UG: well here it is. the big bad.

UG: the little boy of sburb.

UG: this thing is like the BOMB that gets stuff movin.

UG: we need to treat it like one.

TU: hehe ok mark

TU: your explosive puns are the bomb!

TU: Ok so what happens now?

UG: i

UG: guess i open this thing.

UG: omg ok here we go

He began to reach for the lid to the cruxtruder but paused, trying to remember what did when he had messed around with Luke's place.

UG: oh wait! i'll have to put something in the sprite or whatever that comes out. but what?

TU: Hmmmm

TU: What did luke put in?

UG: i put in yoda.

UG: i want something just as awesome. it needs to be something that i won't need though. u can never get it back.

TU: How on earth did you put in yoda?

UG: you just throw it in.

Mark shuffled back to his room, surveying what he had in possession. He grumbled, not seeing anything particularly cool or exciting.

UG: maybe one of my fossils? ugh i wish i had a full skull. all i got are teeth and bones.

TU: Im still confused on this yoda thing

TU: You threw

TU: yoda

TU: into a weird game machine thing?

UG: it was a toy luke had a toy yoda.

UG: what did u think i actually threw in the REAL yoda omfg.

TU: Well excuse me! You never specified :I

TU: Do you have any action figures we could throw in?

UG: i have a TOY dinosaur.

UG: heck yeah, that works we'll go with that.

Mark opened his closet to find a plastic green tyrannosaurus rex that had crudely drawn details on it and looked ancient. He was glad he washed this a while ago, otherwise it would smell like old drool. He returned to the large machine.

UG: alright let's do this.

Mark tried to unscrew the lid as Kate messaged him.

TU: Oh no! A dinosaur?

TU: Might that be a little dangerous?

TU: And you seem to be having trouble with that thing Is there anything i can do?

Mark tried and tried to open to it no avail. When he realized the fruits of his labor were pretty much sucked dry, he stepped back and sighed.

UG: yeah just grab something big and drop it on the lid.

UG: you need a large force to open it.

TU: Ok ummm

TU: Your bed should be perfect!

Mark nervously backed away even further when the giant cursor got a grasp on the bed. Kate was careful not to bust the sleeping facility as she guided it through to the hallway and dropped it violently on the machine's lid. The sprite sprung open, it was a very deep green like the moss on a mountainside. A countdown [was] begun on the bottom screen of the cruxtruder, and the bedframe shattered into hundreds of pieces once it fell to the ground. Mark grit his teeth at the damage.

TU: Oh my god

TU: Im so sorry

TU: That was probably really stupid

UG: wtf. AUGH watevr. *Mark turns to the clock.*

UG: sh*t!

Mark ran to the closest window and surely enough there was a meteor, giant and flaming heading straight for his home. He fumbled at first, but soon enough threw his plastic dinosaur into the kernelsprite following him. It transformed in a flash of light, wiggling little arms about as it became Dinosprite.

UG: ok quick give me 1 of those dowel things.

TU: Here

Mark picked up the lovely green dowel she set down before him.

TU: How much time we got?

UG: look 4 urself.

Mark ran down the steps, nearly tripping on the way there. But he caught himself mid-fall, flipping and rolling to avoid any pain. He set his dowl in the totem lathe and punched the air with victory.

UG: gimme the card.

TU: Fine fine here

TU: My goodness dont have to be so pushy

TU: Lemme go see the clock

TU: Oh my god! 2:02?

TU: Hurry mark!

UG: no duh.

While she was checking the clock, Mark had already carved the dowel. He now ran for his kitchen, sprinting as hard as he could. He stopped, shocked at the size of the alchemiter. Many appliances had been moved to make it fit. His Dad's nice bar island was completely gone, but it had to be spared for the expense of their safety. He placed the dowel in the machine. He suddenly heard his cat, Ria,hissing, and the Dinosprite growling. Before he knew it he saw the sprite chasing his beloved pet.

UG: omg its chasing my cat.

TU: Good riddance

TU: Cats are a menace to all living things

TU: No offense

Kate giggled as her bird chirrped in the background, watching the dinosaur sprite chase the cat around the house. Mark was annoyed on screen, trying to focus. He placed the dowel on the alchemiter and his artifact appeared. It was a tiny soldier man at first, who reached into his pocket and pulled out a nearly watermelon sized grenade. Mark grinned, and immediately grasped the hook. His face froze when he couldn't pull it out.

UG: omgomgwatdoido?

He thought he could HEAR the meteor closing in, the noise of the end of the world was making him sweat. Mark suddenly had a very strange idea. He began to sprint for the front door, but stopped dead in his tracks when Ria leapt out in front of him. He fell and the whole world seemed to freeze as the hook undid itself. He was in the kitchen as it exploded, and the whole house was engulfed in a bright white light. The house vanished, and Mark was now part of the Medium.

Kate punched the air with excitement.

TU: YYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

TU: Hahaha who knew cats could be useful!

Mark shakily stood up, his whole front covered with black soot from the explosion. He was smiling widely.

UG: ha told ya

UG: oh well sh*t

He finally noticed that he was blown from the kitchen, which was a charred mess. His alchemiter was part of the collision, and was now scraps along with most of the appliances.

TU: Oh no!

TU: I hope none of that is important now

TU: But where are we?

TU: Is this the same place where luke is? Is he here?

Mark finally tore himself from the trainwreck of a kitchen and peered out the window.

UG: id say no.

UG: zoom out. way out.

TU: Holy moley!

TU: This place is...

Mark knew what she was going to say. It was either alien or breathtaking. There were towering pillars of earth, covered in a dark fuzzy moss with bits of white boulders exposed. None of them seemed smaller than eight feet tall, and they were scattered across the hilly terrain. Sharp, deep chasms filled the cracks between the hills, separating the land violently. The fog rolling along the bottom of this hills indicated a feeling of early morning, the clear scent of spring filled the skies. Yet the sky was cloudy, overcast as if it could storm at any moment. Somehow he knew the name of this place.

It was the Land of Loam and Sculpture.

UG: awesome.

Kate wasn't as impressed really.

TU: Rock trees?

TU: This place is kind of dull

TU: I don't see any birds

TU: Or like ANYTHING

UG: hey now dont diss my land here.

UG: the geography here is wicked!

UG: ok i guess im good now. i should probably check luke and see how hes doing.

UG: and look at that walkthrough too.

UG: you need to get in here now!

TU: Umm sure :/

TU: I guess faye needs to get me in

TU: But to be honest im not eager to talk to her again

TU: We had a silly argument before i got you in

TU: Wish me luck!

tapdanceUtopia [TU] ceased pestering ultimateGrenadier [UG] at 1:07 EST

tapdanceUtopia [TU] began pestering unfeignedComposer [UC] at 1:07 EST

Faye grumbled at seeing Kate's name on screen. She hoped this wasn't any more of her weird alien talk.

TU: Faye?

TU: Marks ok

TU: He got in fine but now i have to get in Its your job to do that

UC: Oh, hi.

UC: Ok.

UC: Is it hard to play?

TU: Besides the life or death factor

TU: It does not appear to be

TU: You need to install the server player thing

TU: Oh wait! You already did that because of luke right?

TU: Then i guess go ahead and place the stuff down

UC: Alright. Let's hurry up before a meteor hits your house!

Faye wiggled her mouse about until she found the cursor and located the machines she needed to set down. She found herself weighed with guilt, sighing a bit.

UC: Hey. Um... I'm sorry about earlier. It's just kinda scary to think about.

TU: I know

TU: But lets not worry about that now

TU: Where is everything?

Kate heard a slam throughout the house as she put down the machines.

UC: Alchemiter is on your deck, totem lathe is in the hallway, and cruxtruder is in your dining room.

UC: I'm sorry about the table...

Kate walked into her kitchen to see the wooden thing smashed into pieces. She blushed, recalling her incident earlier.

TU: Ahh well

TU: Not as bad as marks bed

TU: I accidentally dropped it and broke it

UC: Oh my god, hahaha!

UC: I hope he has a nice sofa or something to sleep on.

Kate felt as if she suddenly forgotten everything she had done previously with Mark today. Her mind was blank for a few moments.

TU: Well

TU: Omg im probably going to die lol

TU: I guess we start this

TU: You know about the prototyping right?

TU: Once I open the lid the countdown starts and youre supposed to drop something into the kernelsprite

TU: What to use what to use...

UC: Luke told me everything about the game. He's even in this crazy world and everything.

UC: It's crazy.

UC: So yeah, just use something that you don't care ever getting back. And also the sprites basically turn into the thing? You know this, but Luke was especially ticked about it

TU: Lmao yeah

TU: Uhhh oh i know!

After contemplating for a while, Kate ran upstairs to her room. On the shelf near her bed, she spotted a china doll, one of her favorites. It had long hair, a blank expression and a very old dress [on].

TU: This will do My aunt got it for me when i was little

TU: But ive never been much of a doll person

Faye glanced at it, shivering. It gave her the creeps.

UC: Ah! Does it scare you or anything?

UC: Heheh.

TU: Whhhaa?

TU: Oh no hahaha

TU: Actually i think its kind of cute

TU: But sometimes during sunsets the light will go through my window and give it this freaky red glow

Kate rushed back downstairs into her living room. She took in a deep breath.

TU: Ok faye when the lid is off you know what to do with the doll

TU: But you have to drop something heavy on the lid to open it

TU: Just not my bed please lol

UC: Um, alright.

Faye carefully picked up a heavy-looking chair from the dining room table's set up. She set the cursor over the cruxtruder and dropped it. The lid opened, revealing a neon blue almost purple circle. Kate glanced at the time allowed.

TU: 6:32! Got it! .

Kate grabbed her dowel, scampering to the lathe. Her Aunt was entering the rooms where the machines had been placed, questioning the purpose of the giant metal things. As Faye placed the punched card inside its designated spot, she noticed the older woman shuffling about. From the corner of her eye, she saw Kate prototype her kernelsprite with the weird china doll.

UC: Kate, is that lady your aunt?

The doll sprite was following Kate now. She barely waved at Aunt.

TU: Yep!

She ran to the Alchemiter, placing the shaped dowel on the stand. After it was finished, a purple bookshelf flashed into the room. She glanced into it, seeing a purple book singled amongst the empty shelves. She grabbed for it, trying to figure out the puzzle.

TU: So i need to destroy this somehow?

TU: Seems easy enough

UC: Hey, Kate? You're aunt's coming.

UC: She's probably wondering what these things are.

Kate looked into the skies, seeing a small dot of the meteor rushing towards them.

TU: Well its only been a minute

TU: The least i can do is explain whats going on to my poor aunt before she has a heart attack or faints or something

UC: Good idea.

UC: But make it quick!

Kate ran to her Aunt, trying to explain the complexity of what was happening.

UC: Um, Kate.

UC: It's getting closer...

TU: Oh yeah

TU: Ok

Kate simply took the book, opening its glowing cover. She thought a million things at once, but the answer was very simple. Instead of burning it or throwing it through the garbage disposal, she tore out a paper from the glowing pages. In a blinding flash, her house was gone and she had entered the Medium.

Luke was growing impatient. He flung out his phone, hoping Mark would have the answers to his dilemma.

undefeatedAviator [UA] began pestering ultimateGrenadier [UG]

UA: mark

UA: dude u ther

UG: WHAT?

Mark was holding his hair with anxiety. His whole body shook, tears threatened to pour from his eyes. He tried to stay calm, but having Luke burst into his crises was not the best thing that could happen.

UA: dang

UA: dont gtta b so mean

UA: whts got ur panties tied

Sniffling, and shaking Mark calmed himself enough to explain his plight.

UG: my cat died


End file.
